How to Whiten Skin Naturally

Sun exposure can cause hyperpigmentation in the skin. Hyperpigmentation is when the skin gets areas of increased melanin causing the skin to have dark spots. The dark spots cause the skin to look blotchy. Using natural skin whiteners made out of products normally found in homes, you can whiten your skin and reduce hyperpigmentation without the risks of chemical burns that are associated with some chemical based skin whiteners.

1. Wash your skin twice a day with a mild soap and a wash cloth. Use the wash cloth to rub the soap in the skin and to rinse the soap off the skin. The wash cloth mildly exfoliates the skin to encourage the shedding of dead skin cell.

2. Apply a skin brightening tomato and lime juice mask to the skin every morning before you wash your skin. To make the brightening mask, blend 1 tomato and the juice of 1 lime in a blender. Apply a thin layer of the brightening mask to the skin and leave on for 15 minutes. The extra amount of brightening mask can be stored in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. After 15 minutes, rinse the skin with cold water. Wash skin with a mild soap and a wash cloth. The tomato and lime whiten the skin and give it a bright appearance. The lime juice may cause a stinging sensation on the skin; this is normal. With regular use, skin becomes accustomed to the lime juice and the stinging sensation lessons.

3. Apply a moisturizing honey and lemon juice mask before bed every night, before you wash your skin. To make the mask, mix one teaspoon of honey with one teaspoon of lemon juice. Apply the mask to the skin and leave it on for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, rinse the mask off with warm water. Wash skin with a mild soap and a wash cloth. The honey moisturizes the skin, and the lemon whitens the skin. The lemon may cause a stinging sensation on the skin while the mask is on; this is normal. With regular use, skin becomes accustomed to the lemon juice and the stinging sensation lessons.

4. Apply organic Aloe Vera gel to the skin twice a day (morning and night), after washing the skin. Aloe Vera gel is a moisturizer that heals skin irritation and lightens the skin.

5. Exfoliate your skin once a week with sugar and olive oil. Mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil with one tablespoon of white granulated table sugar to make a paste. To use this exfoliant, use your fingers to gently rub the paste into the skin using a circular motion. Be careful around the eye area to avoid getting the paste into the eyes. The exfoliant removes old dead skin cells off the surface layer of the skin, exposing new fresh skin and encouraging the growth of new skin.

(Source: ehow.com)

Simple Tips to Cure Your Acne Naturally

Acne is a tremendously embarrassing and burdensome problem. It is easy to feel that you don't have control over your breakouts. But the fact is, you do. Now, your first response may be to assume that I'm going to recommend you see your dermatologist. Well, think again. Natural remedies can be just as effective and medications. Possibly more powerful. Sometimes, all your body needs is the right nutritional balance and proper skin care. Here are some easy things you can start doing today to help you heal your acne. You should notice a difference in about 4 weeks.

- Apply a honey mask to your face once or twice a week - Honey has antibacterial properties so it is great for disinfecting and healing minor blemishes. It is also gentle on sensitive skin.

- Wash twice a day with acne soap - You should wash your face twice a day with a sulfur based soap designed for acne. Once when you first wake up in the morning and then, right before you go to bed at night. Be extremely gentle to your skin when washing - do not scrub or use any sort of rough cloth. Overwashing your skin will actually stimulate your sebaceous glands to produce more sebum, thus increasing your acne.

- Keep your hair off your face - If you have long hair or bangs, pull your hair off your face. Your hair contains oils as well, and will contribute to your breakouts. You'll also want to wash your hair everyday and after workouts.

- Take a potent multi-vitamin - Acne can be a sign that something is wrong on the inside. Your skin depends on nutrition. It is a vital organ that is usually neglected. If your body is not receiving the right nutrition, it will fight back. One common way it will rebel is to produce excessive sebum, clogging pores, and reducing the ability for your skin to heal and fight bacteria.

- Include chromium in your diet - Chromium is well known for weight loss diets. But it is also excellent for healing infections on the skin. Taking a chromium supplement once a day will help heal your pimples quickly and prevent future breakouts.

- Eat carrots for beta-carotene (Vitamin A) - Vitamin A strengthens the protective tissue of the skin and actually prevents acne. It helps reduce sebum production. This vitamin is essential for the maintenance and repair of the tissue which the skin and mucous membranes are made of. Vitamin A is also a powerful antioxidant needed to rid your body of toxins. Did you know that a deficiency in vitamin A can actually cause acne?

- Avoid wearing makeup - Leaving makeup products on your skin only contributes to clogging your pores, causing more pimples and blackheads. If you feel you must wear makeup, be sure it is water-based.

- Do not pick or squeeze your blackheads and pimples - As tempting as it may be, do not squeeze, scratch, rub or touch your pimples and blackheads. Do any of these actions, actually increases the sebum production. Plus, when you squeeze, you are actually rupturing the membranes below your skin, causing infection and sebum to spread underneath your skin. The result is more pimples.

- Wash your pillow case every other day - Your face lays on your pillow case every day. Your pillow case absorbs the oils from your skin and reapplies the dirt and oil. Thus causing breakouts. Keep your sheets and pillow cases clean.

- Eat foods rich in zinc - Zinc is an antibacterial agent and a necessary element in the oil-producing glands of the skin. A diet low in zinc can actually cause acne breakouts.

(Source: healing.about.com)

Yogurt for Treating Acne

Acne is not caused by chocolate, neither is it caused by dirty hair or dirty skin, nor by too much or lesser sex. Acne, actually, runs in the family. Maybe itshereditary in nature, an inherited defect of the pores or it may be not. It is generally said that If your parents suffered from severe acne then the chances of getting acne among your siblings are quite high. Four out of five siblings are most likely to suffer from acne. Also be cautious about other factors that could most likely lead to the outbreak of acne. The worst thing about acne is that it can leave acne scars behind. There are a number of treatments such as medications and cosmetic products available which claim to cure acne. But the fact is that acne cannot be cured but it can be prevented by taking proper care.

For the treatment of acne, home remedies are the best option, as the medications and cosmetic products are usually associated with certain side effects. Yogurt is found to be effective in the treatment of acne. There are a number of ways of using yogurt for treating acne. You can either consume it or use it as topical. But the severity of using it topically is still controversial. Let’s take a look at the ways yogurt can be used for the treatment:

Yogurt Used as Face Mask

Ingredients: Yoghurt, Comfrey leaves, honey, cosmetic clay, etc.

Method: Take one tablespoon of yogurt, 1 tablespoon of comfrey leaves, one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of cosmetic clay. Now to make the paste, first of all grind the comfrey leaves into fine powder. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl forming a paste. Set it aside and wash your face with a cleanser. Now apply the paste on to your face. Leave it on your face for about 15-20 minutes. In the meanwhile, lie down and relax as stress can also lead to the outbreak of acne. Relieving stress in itself is a great home remedy for treating acne. After about 15 minutes, take a washcloth, wet it in warm water and wipe it out. Apply a good amount of sunscreen moisturizer.

Yogurt for Acne Scars

The methods given here for applying yogurt are all natural and thus do not have any side effects. A word of caution is that before you start with the method of preparation and application makes sure that your hands and face are properly washed. Now take the yogurt and mix it properly. In most cases you must have often noticed that the fruit in the yogurt often sits at the bottom of the bowl. Once properly mixed, apply the paste on the face spreading evenly emphasizing on the older scars as well. Leave it on for about 5-10 minutes and then rinse it with clear water.

As such there is no definite cure for acne. What we can do at best is try to prevent it by taking extra care of our skin and the food that we eat. If your skin is dry then take extra care of it. Always stay out of sun whenever possible. And also use one treatment at a time otherwise your skin might react to it.

If the acne is mainly due to hormonal imbalance, then you may have to consult a physician. For such a condition, you may be prescribed withaldactone to treat acne. If you are on with this medication there are a couple of things you must be aware of as there are a number of side effects involved with its use.

Source: health.top54u.com

Health Benefits of Tomato

Health Benefits of Tomato :

1. A large consumption of tomato can help improve skin texture and color.
2. Tomato is a good blood purifier.
3. Tomato helps in cases of congestion of the liver (protects the liver from cirrhosis) as well as for dissolving gallstones.
4. Tomato is a natural antiseptic therefore it can help protect against infectionNicotinic acid in tomatoes can help to reduce blood cholesterol, thus helps prevent heart diseases.
5. Vitamin K in tomatoes helps to prevent hemorrhages.
6. Tomato contain lycopene (the red pigment in tomato), this pigment is a powerful antioxidant that can also fight cancer cells.

Nutritive Values of Tomato : Per 100 gm.

• Vitamin A : 1,000 I.U.
• Vitamin B : Thiamine .06 mg.;
• Vitamin C : 23 mg.
• Vitamin K : amount uncertain
• Calcium : 11 mg.
• Iron : .6 mg.
• Phosphorus : 27 mg.
• Potassium : 360 mg.
• Protein : 1.0 gm.
• Calories : 20
  
  
  Source: hubpages.com

Anti Aging Tips

Watching the years go by? That's not a very big problem for you, is it? Read our six tricks guide for a bright and young look. Only by taking care of the things below you’ll manage to remain ahead of your age!

The aging process begins when you’re 20-30 years old, which is when you need to start to take into consideration the factors which can affect your body’s balance:

1. Use UV screening cosmetic products

If you protect your skin from the sun’s rays only in the summer, when you’re sunbathing, you must know that this singular habit isn’t an effective barrier against wrinkles. Sun exposure is the main factor of skin aging. Some experts actually estimate that about 80% of aging is due to sun effects. Even more, sun exposure can cause skin cancer after the age of 50. Protection must be adapted depending on each type of skin. People with very light skin color need to use UV screening creams all year round. If you’re using these kind of products daily there’s a chance that your skin will have less wrinkles or sun-caused spots.

2. Eat fruits, vegetables and fish every day

Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and you’ll do your skin a very big favor! Lacking vitamins is the next major cause of body deterioration. You must pay attention to your meals more often, by that meaning you have to supply it with antioxidants (vitamins A, E, C and selenium), zinc and copper. You need a daily quantity of 60 miligrams of C vitamin (about as much as an orange has). It is recommended to give up sweets, meat and fat-rich food. Don’t forget breakfast! It’s well known that even a piece of bread and butter or some cereals with milk will help your digestive system deal with the food more efficiently. Besides that, it also make you less hungry between the meals.

3. Drink more liquids!

Correct body hydration helps keep your skin young. Drink natural juices as much as possible, mineral water and tea. Avoid consuming too much black tea and coffee. In the summer your body will need up to 6 liters of fluids while in the cold season 1.5-2 liters will do the job.

4. Give up smoking

Both nicotine and alcohol “steal” the skin’s vitamins and minerals thus leaving it dehydrated and exposed to wrinkle conditions. Smoking should be definitely forbidden because it directly affects the skin, large part of the toxins being eliminated through it. These factors contribute to the whole body aging, also increasing the risks of cancer, arthritis and osteoporosis. Alcohol in moderate quantities isn’t as harmful as tobacco is, unless there’s strict recommendation against it from your doctor.

5. Take it easy!

It has been proven that chronic stress increases the aging process' speed. Don’t forget the 3 eights rule: have 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work and 8 hours of relaxation each day. It sounds impossible, right? Try yoga, meditation, massage or aromatherapy. You can use oils that create a peaceful sensation such as lavender. Can't get enough sleep? You should try harder, otherwise your efficiency at work will suffer, you’ll do a lot of mistakes and you'll get old quicker. Try harder to spend quality time with your friends, in a relaxing environment. Laughter has its benefits!

6. Use quality makeup

If the cosmetic products you’re using are carefully picked, they are specific to your skin type and you don'’t "forget" to remove your makeup every night, they won't harm your body. Instead, quality makeup protects the skin from harmful actions of the surrounding environment.

(Source: freshlonger.com)